(ThyBlackMan.com) A key aspect of running any business is ensuring that you have a strong team of staff on hand to help make the process of running your company somewhat easier and less stressful. Of course, while the hiring process can be a total nightmare, it’s not the hardest part of taking on a team – the most complex part is knowing how to retain a team.
It’s all well and good sourcing the perfect team members to bring on board, but once you’ve got them on board, that’s when the real work begins. Hiring team members is expensive, which means that when it comes to your team, once you’ve got a strong group of employees on board, naturally you want to ensure that you do everything you can to retain them.
The question is, of course, what steps can you take to ensure that your team members stay on side and remain happy at work? For everything that you need to know, have a read of the idea below!
Offer a positive working environment
If there’s one thing that employees dislike, it’s working in an environment that has a negative feel to it. Aim to create a space that provides a nice place to work – whether you run an office-based business or a field-based one, such as running building sites, you need to ensure the workspace offered is a positive one. Think about what you would want from a workspace, and how you would want that area to feel. Perhaps you could also ask your team members what they would like their workplace to offer? The most important thing is to create somewhere that people actually want to work.
Take ideas on board
Be the kind of boss who actually listens to what their team members have to say. If there’s one thing that employees appreciate more than anything, it’s their boss actually taking note of what they’ve said. Let’s say, for instance, that one of your team members suggests that to reduce time wasted on employee work hours scheduling, you utilise crew scheduling software from a company they’ve had experience working with in another role – you should be willing to hear them out. If you’re unsure about an idea and whether it has the potential to work, ask the team member in question to put a report together for you that you can browse when it’s convenient for you.
Invest in your team
When it comes to retaining your team members, one vital step that you need to take is to invest in them. The truth is that if you are going to ensure that your team members want to stay a part of your company, you need to be willing to invest in them and their futures. What does this mean? It means offering grants for additional training. It means advertising all advancement opportunities internally instead of externally. It means having a mentoring program in place where less experienced team members have the opportunity to grow.
Hopefully, the tips above should help to make the process of holding onto your team members for the long-term, somewhat easier and more achievable.
Staff Writer; Fred Jackson